Page 140 of Never Started
The note I’ve yet to unfold and the ring box I can’t bring myself to open follow me everywhere I go, constantly on my mind. Celia suggests I open them before the end of my trip. Ishouldopen them, but I can’t do it. Not yet.
Granted, I’m not out to forget him.I could never forget him. But the thoughts of what he did, what he sacrificed formeto live, haunt me.
Celia assures me that survivor's guilt is part of the process of healing, and to allow myself to feel those emotions.
Yet, feeling those emotions means accepting that abeautifullife was lost, and that’s not something I’m sure I’m quite ready to accept.
I’ve always struggled with accepting things, and not many people have been able to understand that about me,except for Jett—
The sudden thought of him overwhelms me, causing my heart to flutter momentarily.I miss Jett. There’s no denying that, but I’m not sure if I can forgive him for this.
I’ve always been the secret keeper, so if anyone can empathize with feeling the need to hide truths away, it’s me. But his truth and arrogance to handle everything alone cost a precious life.
Trust has never been easy for me, not since Chad and then my dad’s betrayal. Jett was always deserving of it, yet I couldn’t give it.
Now, I’m not so sure I can ever cross that line with him.
“I’m not sure of a story behind it,” the girl says, walking us over to the window and turning the painting for me to see it up close. She pulls out a small piece of paper from the back of the canvas. “It’s titled ‘The Beauty in Being Lost’.”
The Beauty in Being Lost.
I let the words sink in as my eyes stay fixed on the painting, and then it hits me. All the emotions, all at once.
A lone tear tickles down my cheek, and I quickly wipe it away with a shaky hand.
I don’t know where my life is going at the current moment. Maybe I’m not supposed to know.Perhaps being lost is part of the journey. And, just because that journey doesn’t look like what I’ve imagined, maybe there’s still beauty in it.
My lips tug into a soft smile; that sounds like something Maverick would say.
I feel it then—he’s still with me.
Somehow, in this moment, a glimmer of hope warms my chest, and I cling to it with all my might.
Chapter seventy-four
Izzy
February 2026
Walking through the hotel lobby alone, my phone begins to ring in my pocket. I haven’t kept my phone on me most of this trip, but since Dessa is off on her own today, on a date with some rando she met at a bar last night, it felt necessary to carry it, in case she needs me. Fishing for my phone, I notice multiple missed calls from the same number. That goes to show I haven’t been checking this fucking thing.
“Hello?”
“Is this Miss Izabel Landry?” The man on the other end asks in a curt tone. He sounds like one of the telemarketers who call about “your car's extended warranty.” I almost hang up, but decide to give him a chance to explain what he wants.
“This is her,” I reply simply.
“Hi, Miss Landry–”
“Call me Izzy.”
“Izzy, my name is Carter. I’m with the Burkston Law Firm here in New Orleans. I’m calling you on behalf of the West family.”My heart sinks at the mention of Maverick’s family having a lawyer call me. Are they suing me? I know they blame me and undeniably despise me now, but damn.
“How can I help you?” I ask, the words coming out harsher and ruder than I expect them to.
“Well, Izzy, it appears that Maverick declared you as his sole beneficiary on his life insurance policy—”
“I don’t want it,” I interject, cutting him off. “Give the money to his family.”
